1849.] Remarks on the Word Tersai. S47 



m,— Remarks on the Word Tersai. By Mr. Samuel Marcar, 



[We have much pleasure in giving insertion to the following phUogical observations 

 of a young Armenian friend who has diligently devoted himself to the study of his 

 national history and literature ; both on account of its general interest in connection 

 with the ancient people to which it refers, and of its particular bearing on the Syrian Sasa- 

 nams which were so ably expounded by Dr. Gundert in our 14<th vol.] ^ 



In the thirty-second number of the Madras Journal of Literature 

 and Science, an extract is inserted at page 199 from the letter of 

 the Rev. Dr. Gundert, respecting the name Tarsa, which is said to 

 signify a " Christian" in the Persian language. This word occurs 

 likewise in the forms of Tersai and Terzai in several productions 

 of early times. Various explanations have been offered by learned 

 writers regarding the origin and signification of that epithet : the 

 subject on the whole leads to interesting historical and philological 

 inquiries. I trust, therefore, I shall be excused, if I produce in this 

 place, some passages out of those authors, in reference to the present 

 purpose, accompanying them with a few cursory remarks of my own, 

 by way of illustration. 



In a book printed at Rome in 1618 under the title of De Chris- 

 tiana Expeditione apud Sinas" — a compilation from the Memoirs or 

 Commentaries of Father Matthseus Ricci, a Jesuit, who visited China 

 about the year 1600 — the word Terzai is found as an appellation 

 given to Christians. The editor of that work, one Nicholaus Tri- 

 gautius, or Trigault, a Dutchman, in speaking of the religion of the 

 Chinese and of the introduction of Christianity among them, has 

 the following curious particulars. " Saraceni porro Crucis adoratores 

 prsgter vulgare gentis vocabulum, quo Christianos omnes Isai^ id est, 

 Jesuinos vocant, etiam in hoc regno antiquos illos Crucis professores 

 Terzai appellant, cujus appellationis causam nescio, nisi quod ex Ar- 

 menio quodam audivi, Armenios Christianos- in Perside eodem no- 

 mine nuncupari. Unde fortasse conjicere licet hos Crucis venera- 

 tores ex Armenia originem traxisse, et ab occasu variis fortasse tem- 

 poribus, et eo maxime quum Tartari magnis exercitibus in Sinarum 

 regnum Irrupissent, penetrasse, quo etiam tempore Marcum Paulum 

 Venetum constat hue pervenisse." A distinguished oriental scholar 

 of Germany, Andreas Muller, in an ingenious Disquisition " De Cha- 

 taja," appended to his edition of Marco Polo and Haithon, Berlin, 

 1671, has investigated the source of the appellative Tersai, with 

 great erudition and research. He ascribes, with Trigautius, the em- 

 ployment of that term to Armenian medium, and adduces sundry 



VOL. XV. NO XXXV. W W 



